One person died and five people sustained serious to moderate injuries after five trucks and five vehicles collided with each other on the N3 northbound, between Heidelberg and Vosloorus at around midday on August 6.
EMS spokesman William Ntladi said the smoke obscured motorists’s vision and subsequent to that, the collision happened.
Ntladi said rescue teams had to use jaws of life to free one critically injured truck driver from behind the steering wheel.
The injured persons were transported to Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital by ambulances while the critically injured was also airlifted to Union hospital in Alberton.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the Netcare2 helicopter airlifted a critically injured truck driver to a level 1 trauma facility in Johannesburg under the medical care of a Doctor, an Emergency Care Practitioner and a Critical Care Assistant.
“The truck driver was trapped for three hours.”
The freeway remained closed between Kliprivier off ramp southbound and Benoni off ramp northbound and motorist were advised to use R103 as an alternative route.
South African Police Services and traffic officers also carried out investigations at the scene.
